Christmas Gift
by severus-fan
Summary: Fluff of the Donuts kind. Watanuki struggles to find a Christmas gift for Doumeki, then hits upon the perfect solution.


**Disclaimer: I own none of the xxxHolic characters, no matter how much I wished I did. Oh, how I wish I owned CLAMP.**

**Written for my cousin for Christmas. I know the holidays is already over, and I'm sorry this is so late! **

**Fluff. Probably OOC fluff. But read it anyway, please!

* * *

**Watanuki didn't have much money for Doumeki's gift. He'd already bought Yuuko the best label of alcohol he could relatively afford (and even so, that was much cheaper than the lowest brand she sometimes bought with her sake money). For Himawari-chan he had purchased an in-store discount card for that cake shop she so enjoyed. He'd been stumped for the Zashiki Warashi, and had resorted to begging Yuuko for help. Paying for the mirror that allowed her to relive any one moment she chose once had added considerably to his debt, but in the end Watanuki felt it was worth it.

But Doumeki...would it be too cheap to give him food for Christmas? Watanuki thought so, since he was always giving that gluttonous boy food. And he didn't need him getting fat either, since that made it that much more difficult for him to get the hell out of the way when a particularly strong spirit was after Watanuki.

This Christmas seemed special in some way to the blue-eyed boy. Something seemed to be in the air, and it was making Watanuki feel grateful and affectionate toward the few people in his life. So on the night before his last day of school (the day he was planning on giving Doumeki and Himawari-chan their gifts), he sat down to think about what sort of gift he'd give to the boy who was always putting his life on the line for him.

"It has to be something special..." he mused out loud. "That idiot deserves that much, I guess."

Hours later, well pass the time he normally went to bed, Watanuki had a moment of brilliance. He'd give Doumeki something he rarely gave the other boy: complete, total honesty. Best of all, he'd do it...quietly.

* * *

Opening his eyes and groaning softly, Watanuki slapped his clock until the alarm shut off. Lounging in bed, he stretched. Already a knot was forming in his stomach, and his hands were shaking a little with nerves. Being completely honest with Doumeki was going to be difficult, since it meant revealing certain things Watanuki had been spending a good amount of his time lately hiding. But it was too late now to turn back, and Watanuki was no coward (most of the time. Some of the time...all right, only when it didn't involve spirits).

His breath was visible in the frigid air, though it wasn't quite cold enough for the snow to stay. Wrapped in a scarf, hunched in his coat, Watanuki felt quite warm. Besides, in a few minutes he was going to be even warmer, since he knew from experience that blushing warmed a person.

As expected, Doumeki was waiting for him at their usual meeting place, one wrapped Christmas present under his arm. He turned at the sound of Watanuki's footsteps, his usual deadpan expression in place. Just for a moment, Watanuki wondered if this was going to get a real expression out of him for once. _Probably not_, he sighed to himself.

Doumeki held the present out silently, his ever-calm eyes staring down at Watanuki. The blue-eyed boy took it with no protest, only a quietly muttered, "Thanks." The archer waited patiently for his gift, and when Watanuki pulled nothing out he raised an eyebrow. It would be considerably rude to receive a gift and give nothing back, and Watanuki was never rude.

Watanuki steeled himself and took a step closer to his number one annoyance. Doumeki didn't step back - as expected - merely waited patiently with a slightly raised eyebrow. Before his amassed courage could disappear, Watanuki slipped his arms around Doumeki's neck and pulled him gently down. Pressing his face into the area where the archer's shoulder met his neck, he breathed the other boy's scent (he smelled like clean clothes and his home) and hugged him tightly. It was awkward, since Doumeki was so much taller; Watanuki's upper-chest was pressed against Doumeki's, and his face was pressed against him.

Watanuki release him slowly, and awarded Doumeki with one of those gentle, sweet smiles he usually reserved for little kids and the elderly. After fixing the archer's scarf - the end of it had slid off his shoulder - Watanuki stepped around him and began the short walk to school.

It was some time before Watanuki could hear footsteps sounding as Doumeki jogged to catch up.

* * *

Lunch was sort of the same. Watanuki had presented his present to Himawari-chan with half as much flailing and sparkles, and had accepted the girl's gift calmly but with many thanks. There was nothing special about Doumeki's lunch that day, but once he'd finished his off he hadn't needed to sneak food from Watanuki's.

No, Watanuki had handed his bentou over with another one of those sweet smiles that made Doumeki freeze in place and contemplate the likelihood that a sweet-tempered spirit had possessed his friend instead. Still, the food had been good and without Watanuki flailing about and fawning ridiculously over Kunogi it had been much more quieter.

Doumeki hadn't had to plug his ears to protect his hearing once. Most suspicious.

"Watanuki-kun is in a good mood today, isn't he?" Himawari smiled as she watched their mutual friend rush off to dispose of the used napkins and wrapping paper. Doumeki grunted, his eyes never leaving the retreating back of Watanuki Kimihiro.

"He's an idiot," was all he could think to say, though it wasn't meant harshly. Himawari sent him a sidelong glance and giggled.

* * *

The walk to Yuuko's was silent. Watanuki could tell Doumeki had something on his mind, and from the pointed glances sent his way, he knew it concerned him and his recent behavior. But Watanuki wasn't going to say anything, and Doumeki seemed oddly hesitant to ask.

Nothing happened along the way, so it was a fairly short journey from the school to the shop. Rather than following the usual routine - retreating to Yuuko's store to get away from the other boy as soon as possible, shouting that he didn't take orders behind his shoulder - Watanuki paused a step before the two posts and turned.

Doumeki immediately stopped, his steady gaze settling on Watanuki with the same calm seriousness it always displayed. And if there was a question in those amber eyes, well...Watanuki wasn't going to answer. Not yet, anyway.

They stood that way for several moments, face to face, watching the other watch them. As time ticked by and it grew closer to the time Watanuki was due, the blue-eyed boy drew himself from his thoughts and reached out with one gloved hand to grip the front of Doumeki's school uniform. Pulling him forward and down in one smooth motion, Watanuki closed his eyes and pressed his lips to the corner of Doumeki's mouth. He lingered there, enjoying the feeling of the other's warm skin touching his. Just as it was about to go from a linger kiss to a kiss that went on for too long, Watanuki pulled away and was gone between the posts, disappearing as quickly as he usually did.

Doumeki didn't move. He could still feel the other's lips on his face, could still see the shorter boy's composed face inches from his own, eye's closed, nose pink from the cold. It seemed colder without the other boy's presence, without his warmth to ward off the cold.

"Some gifts," Yuuko's voice rang out, "Do not come in packages."

The tall archer felt his confusion lift and a smile twitch at one corner of his mouth. "Ah," he agreed, and suddenly it didn't seem so cold anymore.

"I'll send Watanuki to your place after he gets off." Yuuko said from her spot to the left, where she was leaning up against one of the posts that marked the entrance to her shop. "He gets off at nine," and with that said, she was gone too.

Doumeki turned and headed for home.

* * *

Knocking on the door took every amount of courage Watanuki had left. Spending the day restraining himself tired him out and put him on edge, so it was a tired and very nervous Watanuki that Doumeki answered the door to. This didn't seem to bother the archer though, who swooped in without waiting for the blue-eyed boy to speak and instead pulled him into a sweet, breath stealing kiss.

Pulling away, Doumeki pressed his forehead against Watanuki's. Their noses were touching - the high strung teenager's nose was cold, but Doumeki didn't mind - and their breath mingled in the minimal space between them.

"I like you loud," Doumeki commented suddenly. "I like it when you flail, and when you make me food, and when you smile like I'm special. But...thank you." He whispered, and pressed his lips to Watanuki's and held them there, even when he spoke his next words. "Best Christmas present ever," he confessed, and pulled the boy closer to him.

Watanuki couldn't agree more.

* * *

**This probably could be considered OOC, right? But I think it's an acceptable OOC, though the readers may not agree. Please leave a review if you feel inclined, but do know any reviews left are highly appreciated. If you feel the need to give concrit, _be kind_. Rudeness and flames have the possibility of scaring off writers, and it's unnecessary to flame anyway.**


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